Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have been caused by acoustic trauma in service and began shortly after discharge, thus granting the claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete information and need for additional medical opinions regarding his hearing loss, tinnitus, and heart disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The appeal is currently in a pending state.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for additional medical opinions regarding his claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not caused by noise exposure during his active duty service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as his service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his in-service noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus disability had its onset during service and is therefore granted. For his hearing loss, a compensable rating is denied.

The Veteran withdrew her appeal for service connection for chronic yeast infections during the March 2016 Board hearing.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to ensure the Veteran receives a thorough and complete examination, as well as an adequate medical opinion regarding his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to determine the Appellant's periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty training (INACDUTRA), as well as whether any hearing loss or tinnitus are related to service. The case will be remanded for these purposes.

The Board has determined that the evidence currently of record is sufficient to substantiate the Veteran's tinnitus claim, and service connection for tinnitus is granted. The issue of bilateral hearing loss disability will be remanded due to insufficient development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure and no relationship between current tinnitus and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, with no pre-existing condition noted at entry or separation from service. The claims for service connection have been granted.

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for his bilateral hearing loss was denied on both schedular and extra-schedular grounds. The Board found that the available schedular evaluations adequately described his disability level, and there were no exceptional or unusual factors rendering application of these standards impractical.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder, unspecified, with trauma related features is found to be service-connected. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions, including hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, ankle condition, and skin disorder. The VA will also obtain any outstanding treatment records and provide a comprehensive examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The Veteran does not have a bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes.